A.A.R.S.E. Augusta Area Riders of Steet & Enduro - Page 52

bonegrl · 10-23-2008, 08:19 PM

So I picked up a handbook from the DMV today so I can take the written test next week. I've also registered and paid for the beginner class at Aiken Tech next month. About the bike decision, I need something that I can reach, if that makes sense. I'm 5'8" but I can get up on the hubby's DRZ400. I also need something that has hard bags. I was really liking the Buell XB12Scg, but of course I want the more expensive red one. The hubby is looking at others, but I'm not sure which ones.

Drinnen · 10-24-2008, 12:50 AM

Hey bonegrl,

Found a good deal on a Tiger, looks like something you might be interested in.
http://www.cycletrader.com/find/listing/2000-TRIUMPH-Tiger-93659289
Now I post this to show another option for your interest, but I’m concerned.

Pleas correct me if I have came to the wrong assumptions.

Pleas, this is not to offend. This is a statement out of concern. Why, because two-thirds of all motorcycle accidents happen to beginners, people riding for their first year. Anything that improves your odds of getting through your first year without an accident is a good thing. This is about trying to improve your chances of survival.

Assumptions
That you are an inexperienced 2 wheel rider, with possibly only limited time on a DRZ.

While there are many faster and more powerful motorcycles today, I assure you that an inexperienced rider can get into big trouble very quickly on a small bike (what is small? 600 and above where the real big bikes for many years and reserved for experienced riders. Something to think about). Recommending 600cc and larger bikes to beginners is like sending children out to play on the freeway, and the results are both predictable and (often) tragic.

Many will share my opinion that small to medium displacement (125-250cc or 300cc) motorcycles are most appropriate for new riders. They are generally lighter and easier to maneuver, easier to balance, cheaper to repair if damaged in a spill, and less likely to get the beginning rider into trouble. It might be worthwhile to pay attention to the seat height figures given for the motorcycles below, as it is reassuring for most inexperienced (and also experienced!) riders to be able to put both feet on the ground when stopped. Light weight is an advantage, as is a low center of gravity, particularly for low speed maneuvering.

My apologies, but I must be blunt, your first motorcycle should definitely be a used bike or a hell of a deal (liquidation sale) unless you simply have money to burn. Your first bike is how you learn to ride, it is not supposed to be your dream bike or your ultimate ride. Virtually no one, despite their best laid plans, keeps their first motorcycle for a long time, so it might as well be purchased used to minimize the cost of later trading it in for something else.

One of the most annoying habits we experienced riders / old timers (Kliff) have is trying to convince new riders that the choice we made is the only right choice. This shows its ugly head most often when a new rider is asking for advice on their first bike. But take a deep breath and ignore them all. If your head turns every time a BMW goes past, don't let anyone tell you that your first bike should be something else. Same for a cruiser, a tourer, a dual purpose bike, or whatever.

But look for a bike in that category that was designed for an entry level rider. What you are looking for is a bike that is pulled back from the extreme qualities that make the big models more suitable for experienced riders. An entry level touring bike will be a lot lighter than the 800 pound Gold Wing, an entry level cruiser won't have the chopper handling of a Harley Springer Softail, and an entry level sportbike won't have the 180mph engine of a Suzuki Hayabusa or the racetrack-bred handling reflexes of the Yamaha YZF-R6.

Entry-level tourers are the rarest of all entry level bikes. But they are out there. Honda has made two excellent candidates-the GL-500 Silver Wing from the early to mid 80's and the PC-800 Pacific Coast from the early to mid 90's. BMW also made the tasty (but quirky) K75LT touring model a few years ago. But most new riders looking for a bike to join in touring rides will choose an entry level cruiser or standard and outfit it for the road with a windscreen fairing and detachable luggage. This isn't a bad option, really. A convertible touring bike like this is a lot more comfortable for around town riding than even a small proper touring bike, and it will be the lightest option.

If you want a bike you can ride off road, your choices are limited. With only a couple of exceptions all entry level dual purpose bikes have 200-250cc engines. The Yamaha XT-225, Kawasaki KLR-250 and Suzuki DR200SE are not your only choices but there isn't a bad bike in the bunch. All three also have electric starting to make life easier.

I'm a big believer that if you are comfortable on a bike it will be a lot easier to learn how to ride. You want to have a bike that feels natural when you are on it. As you gain experience you might start to understand why other bikes have different ergonomics, but during the time when you are becoming a motorcyclist it's important that the feel of how the bike fits you doesn't get in the way of learning how to ride.

No I did not write all this…..simply do a search for “first bike”, the amount of commentary should bring to your attention that this is a widespread philosophy among experienced riders that have been there done that, and watched the guy that didn’t take the advise……well….hummmm…..he’s not around anymore.

Cant wait to see you on a bike. Go do it, do it logically, do it safely.
Thanks for your time.
Drinnen

andy29847 · 10-24-2008, 02:25 AM

Quote:

Hey all. One more noob here. I've got an '02 DRZ400S. Fun bike, but I don't get to ride too much on account of being in Iraq most of the time. I just found this site a couple days ago and mentioned it to my wife. I told her it was going to be bad for me because I could see getting more ideas and getting in more trouble here than what I've already done with our truck club. I come in this morning, and she sent me a PM to this thread. How sweet is that?

I'm Bonegrl's worse half .....

Welcome aboard. I do a lot of dreaming on ADVrider, especially in the "flea market" and "trip reports" sections. I really like the truck and trailer setup that you have. I swore off of camping 20 years ago (think duck hunting, 20°, waders full of water) but durn if reading some of the post here don't have me considering it again. Looking forward to meeting you and Bonegrl in person some day.

NuggetHead · 10-24-2008, 03:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wrangler747

Just got back in from Atlanta and after looking at a few used bike places, my buddy decided on a 02 DRZ 400 YELLOW one. The guy took great care of it and it allready had Kenda 270's on it.

Soooooo he is getting the legal paperwork down tomm. and we are planning on going on a ride Sat Morn probably.

He is totally new to riding so I am thinking we might take easy roads and head out to Appling then out to that church(where we stopped with M&MM ride after the Bridge crossing) and back. Should be a lot of long straight dirt roads..Anybody else want to tag along...

He will be on the forums soon and you should post some pics of the bike...

Wrangler,

I'm up for it. Give me a time and place and will meet up with you all.

Nuggethead

airdrew32 · 10-24-2008, 09:00 AM

I am in for a ride tomorrow! Let me know when and where.

Drinnen - The place I found in Vaucluse has a pretty cool hill climb section where there is several jumps in a row going up the hill. Pretty sandy overall but manageable.

They did build a neighborhood on the north side of that road you saw. There is a ton of land to the south of the road though.

Chopped_Burban · 10-24-2008, 09:41 AM

Thanks for the warm welcome from everyone and the input on a new bike for Bonegrl. More information and perspective is always helpful. It's going to come down to spending a day or two out looking around, sitting on bikes, and hopefully doing a few test rides to find what's going to be best for her. We're doing a lot research online, checking specs, drooling, and everything else right now in part because that's about as active as I can be at the moment. For some strange reason, Iraq doesn't have any motorcycle stores I can go to.

I would love to meet some of you guys and get a ride in while I'm home, but I can't guarantee anything since I'm only going to be home for a couple weeks and have about a month worth of things on the to-do list already. Trying to plan for anything when I'm home tends to jinx things so I normally just wait until I get there and to it day by day.

Well, back to work with me.

bonegrl · 10-24-2008, 11:43 AM

Yep as Burban said we are still researching. And by all means I'm not offended. That is why a person joins a forum like this, to get insight. Though just a little more background about me and motorcycles...
You're correct in assuming that I have little to no experience on them (cousin had a little thing we played with in the yard), but that is why I am taking the courses. As a wise person told me "dump someone else's first" and I am concerned with the cost of dumping the BMW, and the thoughts of where to get it fixed around here. And I am planning on making sure I am comfortable with it before buying and if I don't like it, I won't get it. For instance, we really liked the looks of the Dodge Avenger. We decided to test drive one and within 5 minutes realized it wasn't for us. Still a nice looking car, just disappointing.

Also, I am no stranger to the tragic end of what happens when idiots meet up with bikes. I know that most accidents are caused by the idiot driving the car/truck, but sometimes there is an idiot on the bike. As an EMT I've scraped up riders of all levels from pavement, dirt roads, woods and Turcky Creek MX. Some were other drivers faults, some were the riders fault and some were plain Mother Nature (deer vs. Harley). Besides, unlike the hubby I don't seem to have the "Speed Gene"

BTW that Tiger is SWEET!

wrangler747 · 10-24-2008, 11:46 AM

I dont know what works for all of you..for tomm.ride

I promised this new guy that bought his DRZ 400 yesturday that I would go riding with him..but like I say the only riding experience he has is the one day course..He is stil getting used to being on two wheels.. so we might stay on pavement if it is still really wet or head out in the afternoon and hit some gravel stuff (not the red clay). I am thinking some of the forest service roads we hit last week would be good..

I dont want to have the guy wreck the first time we are out and then have a bad taste in his mouth..

you might want to get together and do a funner ride together I am not sure

Drinnen · 10-24-2008, 11:47 AM

Bonegrl, Chopped Burban

I put this site out there in an earlier post.
This is a good consolidated info page for bikes. Not all applies but the wealth of knowledge one can obtain can save themselves from future contingencies and hardships.

http://www.calsci.com/motorcycleinfo/index.html

When I get annoying, just tell me to shut it.

Drinnen · 10-24-2008, 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wrangler747

I dont know what works for all of you..for tomm.ride

I promised this new guy that bought his DRZ 400 yesturday that I would go riding with him..but like I say the only riding experience he has is the one day course..He is stil getting used to being on two wheels.. so we might stay on pavement if it is still really wet or head out in the afternoon and hit some gravel stuff (not the red clay). I am thinking some of the forest service roads we hit last week would be good..

I dont want to have the guy wreck the first time we are out and then have a bad taste in his mouth..

you might want to get together and do a funner ride together I am not sure

Hell I’ll just stand there and watch him ride….. I just need to get out.

Any riding is good for me; I would like to help the guy out. Lets put him on the road, dirt, and gravel at a pace befitting of his ability’s. Hell if he doesn’t drop a DRZ at least once, he won’t have any good stories.

bonegrl · 10-24-2008, 12:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drinnen

Bonegrl, Chopped Burban

I put this site out there in an earlier post.
This is a good consolidated info page for bikes. Not all applies but the wealth of knowledge one can obtain can save themselves from future contingencies and hardships.

http://www.calsci.com/motorcycleinfo/index.html

When I get annoying, just tell me to shut it.

I must have missed that link, unless you meant you posted it before I got here. I'll have to read it when I'm not in class watching the numbskulls stick each other with needles

(BTW, I've already successfully stuck my victim..um...patient, though nobody was able to stick me....)

Oh and I use to teach middle school....it will take more then that to annoy me LOL

canoli · 10-24-2008, 05:23 PM

Ok time for my $0.02

I got an XT225 and I love it. It can do 65-70 all day long , gets 65 mpg, and WHEN I drop it no one can tell. As soon as I can ride like 1/2 of these guys in this forum I'll think about going bigger. We all start somewhere.

BTW I'm 5-7, 160 lbs and I looked very closely at the same kind of BMW that you are looking at, but the cost per mistake (drop, slip etc..) was way higher then I was willing to pay (for now). I got my bike used for $2800 OTD with a helmet, armored jacket & extended warrenty.

Good luck and happy hunting.

canoli · 10-24-2008, 06:04 PM

Ok here is the Spam.

Street & Trail Second Annual Christmas in October Saturday, October 25th 9am-3pm Washington Rd Augusta.

http://www.streetandtrail.com/shop/eventslist.htm

Guster · 10-24-2008, 06:15 PM

Ha! I found you guys!

Hey guys, my name is Joe and i'm the n00b Wrangler was talking about earlier. We just headed over to Altanta last night and bought a beauty DRZ400S. Of course the day after I purchase my first bike it does nothing but rain, but oh well there's always tomorrow. Hey Wrangler, I was thinking maybe starting between 1-2ish? What do you guys think? I don't necessarily need long straightaways or anything like that, but i'm definitely not ready to hit the xgames either. We can try to make it somewhat entertaining a ride... like Drinnen said, if you don't drop it at least once. I'm here for your entertainment! Oh and Kliff, Wrangler said maybe we'd head your way sometime soon and let you take a good look at the bike. I'd love for you to take a good look at it and make sure she's not a ticking time bomb!

Nice to meet you guys!

kliff · 10-24-2008, 06:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Guster

Ha! I found you guys!

Hey guys, my name is Joe and i'm the n00b Wrangler was talking about earlier. We just headed over to Altanta last night and bought a beauty DRZ400S. Of course the day after I purchase my first bike it does nothing but rain, but oh well there's always tomorrow. Hey Wrangler, I was thinking maybe starting between 1-2ish? What do you guys think? I don't necessarily need long straightaways or anything like that, but i'm definitely not ready to hit the xgames either. We can try to make it somewhat entertaining a ride... like Drinnen said, if you don't drop it at least once. I'm here for your entertainment! Oh and Kliff, Wrangler said maybe we'd head your way sometime soon and let you take a good look at the bike. I'd love for you to take a good look at it and make sure she's not a ticking time bomb!

Nice to meet you guys!

Sweeeet! Bob "Hurricane" Hannah would be proud of ya! Come on over, I should be around most of the afternoon.

10-24-2008, 12:50 AM	#767
Drinnen boob Joined: Oct 2008 Oddometer: 137	Hey bonegrl, Found a good deal on a Tiger, looks like something you might be interested in. http://www.cycletrader.com/find/listing/2000-TRIUMPH-Tiger-93659289 Now I post this to show another option for your interest, but I’m concerned. Pleas correct me if I have came to the wrong assumptions. Pleas, this is not to offend. This is a statement out of concern. Why, because two-thirds of all motorcycle accidents happen to beginners, people riding for their first year. Anything that improves your odds of getting through your first year without an accident is a good thing. This is about trying to improve your chances of survival. Assumptions That you are an inexperienced 2 wheel rider, with possibly only limited time on a DRZ. While there are many faster and more powerful motorcycles today, I assure you that an inexperienced rider can get into big trouble very quickly on a small bike (what is small? 600 and above where the real big bikes for many years and reserved for experienced riders. Something to think about). Recommending 600cc and larger bikes to beginners is like sending children out to play on the freeway, and the results are both predictable and (often) tragic. Many will share my opinion that small to medium displacement (125-250cc or 300cc) motorcycles are most appropriate for new riders. They are generally lighter and easier to maneuver, easier to balance, cheaper to repair if damaged in a spill, and less likely to get the beginning rider into trouble. It might be worthwhile to pay attention to the seat height figures given for the motorcycles below, as it is reassuring for most inexperienced (and also experienced!) riders to be able to put both feet on the ground when stopped. Light weight is an advantage, as is a low center of gravity, particularly for low speed maneuvering. My apologies, but I must be blunt, your first motorcycle should definitely be a used bike or a hell of a deal (liquidation sale) unless you simply have money to burn. Your first bike is how you learn to ride, it is not supposed to be your dream bike or your ultimate ride. Virtually no one, despite their best laid plans, keeps their first motorcycle for a long time, so it might as well be purchased used to minimize the cost of later trading it in for something else. One of the most annoying habits we experienced riders / old timers (Kliff) have is trying to convince new riders that the choice we made is the only right choice. This shows its ugly head most often when a new rider is asking for advice on their first bike. But take a deep breath and ignore them all. If your head turns every time a BMW goes past, don't let anyone tell you that your first bike should be something else. Same for a cruiser, a tourer, a dual purpose bike, or whatever. But look for a bike in that category that was designed for an entry level rider. What you are looking for is a bike that is pulled back from the extreme qualities that make the big models more suitable for experienced riders. An entry level touring bike will be a lot lighter than the 800 pound Gold Wing, an entry level cruiser won't have the chopper handling of a Harley Springer Softail, and an entry level sportbike won't have the 180mph engine of a Suzuki Hayabusa or the racetrack-bred handling reflexes of the Yamaha YZF-R6. Entry-level tourers are the rarest of all entry level bikes. But they are out there. Honda has made two excellent candidates-the GL-500 Silver Wing from the early to mid 80's and the PC-800 Pacific Coast from the early to mid 90's. BMW also made the tasty (but quirky) K75LT touring model a few years ago. But most new riders looking for a bike to join in touring rides will choose an entry level cruiser or standard and outfit it for the road with a windscreen fairing and detachable luggage. This isn't a bad option, really. A convertible touring bike like this is a lot more comfortable for around town riding than even a small proper touring bike, and it will be the lightest option. If you want a bike you can ride off road, your choices are limited. With only a couple of exceptions all entry level dual purpose bikes have 200-250cc engines. The Yamaha XT-225, Kawasaki KLR-250 and Suzuki DR200SE are not your only choices but there isn't a bad bike in the bunch. All three also have electric starting to make life easier. I'm a big believer that if you are comfortable on a bike it will be a lot easier to learn how to ride. You want to have a bike that feels natural when you are on it. As you gain experience you might start to understand why other bikes have different ergonomics, but during the time when you are becoming a motorcyclist it's important that the feel of how the bike fits you doesn't get in the way of learning how to ride. No I did not write all this…..simply do a search for “first bike”, the amount of commentary should bring to your attention that this is a widespread philosophy among experienced riders that have been there done that, and watched the guy that didn’t take the advise……well….hummmm…..he’s not around anymore. Cant wait to see you on a bike. Go do it, do it logically, do it safely. Thanks for your time. Drinnen __________________ I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic Free citizens must protect themselves. Police do not protect you from crime, they just investigate the crime after it happens and then call someone in to clean up the mess. I don’t carry a gun because I feel inadequate. I carry a gun because unarmed and facing armed thugs, I am inadequate. Drinnen screwed with this post 10-24-2008 at 01:42 AM

10-24-2008, 11:47 AM	#774
Drinnen boob Joined: Oct 2008 Oddometer: 137	Bonegrl, Chopped Burban I put this site out there in an earlier post. This is a good consolidated info page for bikes. Not all applies but the wealth of knowledge one can obtain can save themselves from future contingencies and hardships. http://www.calsci.com/motorcycleinfo/index.html When I get annoying, just tell me to shut it. __________________ I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic Free citizens must protect themselves. Police do not protect you from crime, they just investigate the crime after it happens and then call someone in to clean up the mess. I don’t carry a gun because I feel inadequate. I carry a gun because unarmed and facing armed thugs, I am inadequate. Drinnen screwed with this post 02-19-2009 at 03:19 PM

10-24-2008, 05:23 PM	#777
canoli human Joined: Jul 2008 Location: Not from round these parts. Oddometer: 1,144	Xt225 Ok time for my $0.02 I got an XT225 and I love it. It can do 65-70 all day long , gets 65 mpg, and WHEN I drop it no one can tell. As soon as I can ride like 1/2 of these guys in this forum I'll think about going bigger. We all start somewhere. BTW I'm 5-7, 160 lbs and I looked very closely at the same kind of BMW that you are looking at, but the cost per mistake (drop, slip etc..) was way higher then I was willing to pay (for now). I got my bike used for $2800 OTD with a helmet, armored jacket & extended warrenty. Good luck and happy hunting.

10-24-2008, 06:04 PM	#778
canoli human Joined: Jul 2008 Location: Not from round these parts. Oddometer: 1,144	Christmas in October Saturday, October 25th (SPAM) Ok here is the Spam. Street & Trail Second Annual Christmas in October Saturday, October 25th 9am-3pm Washington Rd Augusta. http://www.streetandtrail.com/shop/eventslist.htm

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10-23-2008, 08:19 PM	#766
bonegrl n00biest of n00bs Joined: Oct 2008 Location: 38' east of sanity Oddometer: 298	So I picked up a handbook from the DMV today so I can take the written test next week. I've also registered and paid for the beginner class at Aiken Tech next month. About the bike decision, I need something that I can reach, if that makes sense. I'm 5'8" but I can get up on the hubby's DRZ400. I also need something that has hard bags. I was really liking the Buell XB12Scg, but of course I want the more expensive red one. The hubby is looking at others, but I'm not sure which ones.

10-24-2008, 09:00 AM	#770
airdrew32 Bat Rat Joined: Sep 2008 Location: North Augusta Oddometer: 62	I am in for a ride tomorrow! Let me know when and where. Drinnen - The place I found in Vaucluse has a pretty cool hill climb section where there is several jumps in a row going up the hill. Pretty sandy overall but manageable. They did build a neighborhood on the north side of that road you saw. There is a ton of land to the south of the road though.

10-24-2008, 09:41 AM	#771
Chopped_Burban I miss my bikes Joined: Oct 2008 Location: Afghanistan Oddometer: 20	Thanks for the warm welcome from everyone and the input on a new bike for Bonegrl. More information and perspective is always helpful. It's going to come down to spending a day or two out looking around, sitting on bikes, and hopefully doing a few test rides to find what's going to be best for her. We're doing a lot research online, checking specs, drooling, and everything else right now in part because that's about as active as I can be at the moment. For some strange reason, Iraq doesn't have any motorcycle stores I can go to. I would love to meet some of you guys and get a ride in while I'm home, but I can't guarantee anything since I'm only going to be home for a couple weeks and have about a month worth of things on the to-do list already. Trying to plan for anything when I'm home tends to jinx things so I normally just wait until I get there and to it day by day. Well, back to work with me.

10-24-2008, 11:43 AM	#772
bonegrl n00biest of n00bs Joined: Oct 2008 Location: 38' east of sanity Oddometer: 298	Yep as Burban said we are still researching. And by all means I'm not offended. That is why a person joins a forum like this, to get insight. Though just a little more background about me and motorcycles... You're correct in assuming that I have little to no experience on them (cousin had a little thing we played with in the yard), but that is why I am taking the courses. As a wise person told me "dump someone else's first" and I am concerned with the cost of dumping the BMW, and the thoughts of where to get it fixed around here. And I am planning on making sure I am comfortable with it before buying and if I don't like it, I won't get it. For instance, we really liked the looks of the Dodge Avenger. We decided to test drive one and within 5 minutes realized it wasn't for us. Still a nice looking car, just disappointing. Also, I am no stranger to the tragic end of what happens when idiots meet up with bikes. I know that most accidents are caused by the idiot driving the car/truck, but sometimes there is an idiot on the bike. As an EMT I've scraped up riders of all levels from pavement, dirt roads, woods and Turcky Creek MX. Some were other drivers faults, some were the riders fault and some were plain Mother Nature (deer vs. Harley). Besides, unlike the hubby I don't seem to have the "Speed Gene" BTW that Tiger is SWEET!

10-24-2008, 11:46 AM	#773
wrangler747 KLR for life Joined: Sep 2008 Location: Martinez Ga Oddometer: 529	I dont know what works for all of you..for tomm.ride I promised this new guy that bought his DRZ 400 yesturday that I would go riding with him..but like I say the only riding experience he has is the one day course..He is stil getting used to being on two wheels.. so we might stay on pavement if it is still really wet or head out in the afternoon and hit some gravel stuff (not the red clay). I am thinking some of the forest service roads we hit last week would be good.. I dont want to have the guy wreck the first time we are out and then have a bad taste in his mouth.. you might want to get together and do a funner ride together I am not sure

10-24-2008, 06:15 PM	#779
Guster Adventurer Joined: Oct 2008 Oddometer: 14	Ha! I found you guys! Hey guys, my name is Joe and i'm the n00b Wrangler was talking about earlier. We just headed over to Altanta last night and bought a beauty DRZ400S. Of course the day after I purchase my first bike it does nothing but rain, but oh well there's always tomorrow. Hey Wrangler, I was thinking maybe starting between 1-2ish? What do you guys think? I don't necessarily need long straightaways or anything like that, but i'm definitely not ready to hit the xgames either. We can try to make it somewhat entertaining a ride... like Drinnen said, if you don't drop it at least once. I'm here for your entertainment! Oh and Kliff, Wrangler said maybe we'd head your way sometime soon and let you take a good look at the bike. I'd love for you to take a good look at it and make sure she's not a ticking time bomb! Nice to meet you guys!